1992-1995 Porsche 968

The Last, and Best, of the Fours

Buyer's Guide from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

The front-engine revolution that upended Zuffenhausen in the 1970s led to some of the best Porsches ever built. It's no secret that the 944, the successor to the groundbreaking 924, represents one of the greatest sports car bargains available today, Porsche badge or no Porsche badge, thanks to relatively large production numbers, superior performance and an inexplicable lack of respect from some quarters. Yet there's one member of this four-cylinder family that's not so well known, and that's the last and best of the line: the 968.
For just a bit more money than a 944, consider what the 968 has to offer: more power, more refinement, distinctive looks, and a cachet that's rooted in its rarity. Fewer than 4,500 were built for the U.S. market before production ended in 1995, divided nearly evenly between Coupes and Cabriolets. They were hugely expensive when new--the car on these pages sold for more than $60,000 in 1992, the equivalent of $100,000 in today's dollars--but depreciation has brought them within reach of the masses. A nice Coupe can be found for $10,000 or so, with Cabriolets selling for around $12,000.
The 968 is blessed with predictable handling, thanks to the nearly 50-50 weight distribution that results from its front engine/rear transaxle design, and is not difficult to drive fast. The 240hp, DOHC four offered the most torque per liter of any normally aspirated four of its day, with seamless power delivery that can still make enthusiasts grin like fools. Porsche and a number of aftermarket suppliers can provide any parts you might need, and most routine maintenance is straightforward enough to be handled by the owner. Full service manuals, and active online message boards, are on call to aid the amateur mechanic.
Even though the earliest examples are nearly 20 years old, the 968 still stacks up well in the areas of safety, comfort and performance. It's even relatively economical, with an EPA rating of 26 MPG on the highway. "All the expected modern features are present on the 968, including dual front airbags, ABS, and four-piston calipers on all four disc brakes," said Jeff Coe, the owner of our feature car and the current advocate of the Porsche Club of America's 968 register. "If you're looking for a unique sports car that looks great and compares well in every way to modern-day competition, you should give the 968 a look. Just be prepared to be approached by less savvy car fans and asked, 'Is this a new Porsche model?'"
The birth of the 968 came at a time of distress at Porsche. The company was in deep cash-flow trouble in the late 1980s, and in desperate need of a successor to its 944 series. Unlike fans of the 911, whose loyalties could always be counted on, 944 buyers were more likely to stray--and the Japanese were offering some pretty strong temptation with the likes of the Mazda RX-7 and Nissan 300 ZX Turbo. But Porsche did not have the money for an entirely new model, and so put its faith in one last major revision of the 944 platform.
The job of giving a fresh, new look to what was essentially a 15-year-old bodyshell was handed to design chief Harm Lagaay and his crew. There was no budget for big changes in the sheetmetal, but Lagaay managed to alter the car's appearance significantly, giving it a strong family resemblance to the 911 and 928 series. He discarded the hideaway headlamps, complaining that Japanese imitators had co-opted the look, and gave the car distinctive, star gazing, pop-up headlamps like the 928's. The pliable, polyurethane front panel incorporated air inlets that echoed those of the 959 supercar.
The back end of the car was also transformed. One huge polyurethane panel incorporated flush-mounted taillamp clusters, with the "Porsche" name molded in between. More plastic below the doors changed the side profile, further differentiating it from the 944. Color-coordinated door handles finally replaced the VW/Audi items used since the first 924 rolled off the assembly line, and the big "elephant ear" mirrors were given a more graceful, streamlined shape. The restyling was most successful on the Cabriolet; the side windows and glass hatch of the Coupe remained pretty much unchanged.
The redesign was much more than window dressing. The engine, the 2,990cc four from the 944S2, came in for further refinement. The forged pistons and rods were significantly lightened, which allowed the engine to rev up to a higher redline of 6,200 RPM. The reduction in mass also allowed the engineers to do away with the crankshaft's heavy torsional rotation damper, improving the engine's responsiveness. Compression was bumped up a tenth of a point, to 11.0:1, and an oil spray cooled the underside of each piston, à la the 911.
The big breakthrough was Porsche's Variocam technology, which helped boost low- and mid-range torque without incurring a penalty at the upper end of the rev band. The inlet was driven by the exhaust cam through a chain; by using a hydraulic tensioner to push against one side of the chain, the rotation of the intake cam relative to the exhaust could be changed by as much as 15 degrees. The degree of rotation was controlled by the engine's Motronic electronic management system, with nothing required of the driver but to press down on the accelerator.
The new six-speed gearbox made good use of the engine's expanded abilities, with the higher of its two overdrive ratios giving 100 MPH at just over 4,000 RPM. New also was the optional four-speed Tiptronic, the world's first dual-mode automatic. With the lever in the left-hand gate, the Tiptronic acted like a conventional automatic. But when the lever was moved to the right, the driver could run through the gears sequentially, as with a clutchless manual. If this doesn't sound novel to you, it's because virtually every automaker has since copied it. The optional limited-slip differential was changed from ZF to a Torsen unit in 1993.
Porsche acknowledged the new car's roots in its "Evolution, Not Revolution" ad campaign, but pointed out that the 968 was more than 80 percent new. Fearing that the 968 would be a hard sell, the factory offered a nearly endless list of options. "There were 34 exterior paint colors, seven cabriolet top colors, and 99 different interiors available for the 968, along with almost 100 individual options," Jeff said.
There were few variants. A street-legal race version, the Club Sport, was introduced in late 1992, and a softer Sport model in January 1994, but neither of those ever made it to the U.S. Porsche also experimented with turbocharging, but just 10 Turbo S and 4 Turbo RS models were built before the program was cancelled.
The hope in Zuffenhausen was that the 968 would carry the company until the new Boxster was ready, but it fell short of its task by about a year. The cost--$41,605 for a Coupe in 1992, including delivery and luxury tax--was just too high for most enthusiasts to justify, especially in the face of the car's lukewarm reception by the press. "Porsche's problem is price, or at least the exchange rate between the deutschemark and the buck," Steve Spence wrote in Car and Driver back in 1992. "With the 968, this problem has gotten completely out of hand." C/D's test car stickered for $47,177, with options.
Today, sticker prices are nothing more than a curiosity, while the 968 itself remains as good as ever. Let depreciation be your friend, and picture yourself in the very best four-cylinder watercooled Porsche ever.
Body
The steel unit body of the 968 was fully galvanized at the factory, so rust is generally not much of an issue. But do watch out for signs of accident damage, such as uneven panel gaps, overspray or mismatched paint.
The tray under the front bumper is vulnerable to curb damage from careless parking; replacements can be bought for about $250, and are available through Porsche dealers. Be sure to inspect the molded polyurethane bumpers closely, and keep in mind that Porsche charges $910 for new front bumper covers in primer, and $1,538 for rear covers. The molded fiberglass spoiler can crack if it's leaned on or used to shut the hatch; a new one is $221. The black rubber seals between the polyurethane panels and the steel body often shrink and crack, but this is an easy fix for the do-it-yourselfer, with all the necessary replacement seals available from Porsche.
On Coupes, damp carpets are an indicator of leaks around the sunroof, likely caused by plugged drain tubes, or the glass hatch, thanks to a worn-out seal or clogged spoiler drains. These can usually be solved without too much difficulty or expense.
Interior
The factory's anything-goes policy on interior trims led to some lively combinations; it was even possible to order contrasting stitching. With the wide variety of colors offered, you'll probably need the services of a good upholsterer to spruce up a faded or scruffy interior. Up until early 1994, the seats and door panels were shared with the 944, trimmed in leatherette with cloth inserts, and with partial or full leather optional. In mid-1994, 993-style seats were adopted with most of the same upholstery offerings as earlier models. All year seats had partial motorized adjustment as standard equipment with full power seats as an option (code 437/438). Porsche loaded up these cars to keep them moving out of dealers' showrooms, so you can expect to find anything and everything--from lower dashboards to key fobs--swathed in hides. At $5,000, a leather top boot was a rare option.
With the exception of plastic sunvisor clips and center console hinges, there's not much call for replacing interior hardware, according to Luke Rogers of Sunset Imports, a Porsche dealer in Beaverton, Oregon.
Engine
Don't be scared off by high mileage; the robust four, with proper maintenance, has been known to cover 200,000 miles without major difficulty. Maintenance is the key here; you'll want to see a thick folder of receipts, or at the very least, evidence of the most recent timing belt replacement. If the belt snaps, the pistons will collide with the valves, leaving you with the kind of bill you'll be telling your grandkids about. "The factory says to replace them every six years or 60,000 miles, but we've seen them break before that. We recommend four years or 40,000 miles," said Max Aleksak of RS Barn, a front-engine Porsche specialist in Newtown, Pennsylvania. It's a good idea to replace the balance shaft belt at the same time. The required parts are sold in a kit for about $300. Setting the tension properly requires a $600 Porsche tool, so you might want to leave this job to a professional.
Water pump replacement requires the removal of the timing and balance shaft belts. Porsche sells a remanufactured pump in a kit with a new thermostat and other updated parts for $168.
Transmission
Early on in production, some six-speed transmissions were assembled incorrectly, and suffered pinion bearing failure as a result; to check for this issue, accelerate to 80 MPH, let off the gas, and listen for whining or howling. Most of the faulty units have shown up by now, and have been fixed. If you find a car that needs repair, Max Aleksak of RS Barn says to figure on a bare minimum of $1,000 for doing the pinion bearing alone, with the cost increasing sharply if other parts need replacing.
Beware of an overly stiff clutch pedal; Max says that some aftermarket pressure plates require too much pedal pressure, leading to flexing and cracking in the area of the firewall where the clutch pedal mounts.
The rubber center of the dual-mass clutch disc can fail, leading to a lot of free play in the mechanism and excessive play in the clutch pedal. An improved version of the clutch is available. Fortunately, the clutch can be replaced without dropping the transaxle or lowering the torque tube.
Brakes and Suspension
The standard system includes Brembo four-piston alloy calipers, ventilated rotors and ABS. Brake service is uncomplicated; new pads are $113 per wheel from Porsche, and rotors are $136 apiece. According to Luke at Sunset Imports, brake upgrades are popular, such as the use of "Big Red" calipers from the 993.
Porsche recommended brake fluid replacement every two years, and increased the interval to three years in 1993; check to make sure it's been done.
One of the most desirable factory options is the M030 package. "Around 100 968 coupes were equipped with this package, which consisted of a sport suspension made up of larger anti-roll bars, 17-inch wheels, and larger brakes with cross-drilled rotors," Jeff Coe said. Many owners have swapped out the standard anti-roll bars--26.8mm diameter in front, and 16mm in back--with stiffer bars, Luke told us. If you want a full treatise on how to modify the suspension of the 924/944/968, you can't beat Jim Pasha's May 1994 article in Excellence magazine, posted at www.924.org/techsection/SuspensionPreparation.htm.
SpecificationsENGINE
Type: DOHC inline-four, aluminum block and 16-valve cylinder head, dual balance shafts, 2,990cc (182.5-cu.in.)
Bore x stroke: 104 x 88mm
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Horsepower @ RPM: 240 @ 6,200
Torque @ RPM: 225-lbs.ft. @ 4,100
Induction system: Bosch Motronic DME multipoint fuel injection
TRANSAXLE
Type: Six-speed manual or four-speed Tiptronic dual-mode automatic
STEERING
Type: Rack-and-pinion, power assist
BRAKES
Type: Four-wheel ventilated disc, ABS, power assist
Front: 11.7 inches
Rear: 11.8 inches
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase: 94.5 inches
Overall length: 170.1 inches
Overall width: 68.3 inches
Overall height: 50.2 inches
Curb weight: 3,020 pounds (Coupe) to 3,306 pounds (Tiptronic Cabriolet)
PERFORMANCE
0-60 MPH: 5.6 seconds
1/4 mile: 14.2 seconds @ 98 MPH
Top speed: 153 MPH
(Figures are for a six-speed Coupe)
Source: Car and Driver, March 1992
Price Guide968 Coupe
Low: $7,000
Average: $10,000
High: $17,000
968 Cabriolet
Low: $10,000
Average: $13,000
High: $20,000
Production
North American market (USA and Canada)

Coupes

Cabriolets

1992

649

667

1993

608

354

1994

718

651

1995

259

306

Total

2,234

2,008

(Worldwide production of both models totaled 12,776)
Parts Prices
Air filter: $19.00
Air mass meter, rebuilt: $432.00
Camshafts, refurbished, w/chain: $650.00
Clutch kit, Porsche: $609.09
CV boot kit: $29.15
Dashboard pad, black: $3,363.00
Gas strut assembly, Koni, front: $648.75
Head gasket, OEM: $54.75
Headlamp assembly: $316.26
Heater valve: $22.52
Power steering hose: $40.50
Power steering rack rebuild kit: $69.95
Taillamp assembly: $237.75
Timing belt: $96.89
Water pump kit, rebuilt, Porsche: $168.42
Recent ads
1995 Porsche 968 Cabriolet: 6-speed, 51,000 miles, black exterior, interior, top, 60,000 mile service, all original, no accidents, never in rain, almost perfect. $22,000.
1992 Porsche 968 Cabriolet: 2-owner, fully loaded, electronic tire pump, serviced as needed by authorized Porsche mechanics. Interior in excellent condition, original radio, power top in good condition, clutch and engine in excellent condition. $16,950. (Courtesy Hemmings Motor News)
1993 Porsche 968 Coupe: Immaculate Black, with black interior. Perfect sport seats both driver's and passenger side. Six-speed with factory LSD. 17-inch wheel option with color crest centers. Original engine bay covers front and rear with glove compartment. Porsche dealer serviced from new. Pinion repair done by Porsche at 60K miles. All original, unmolested, original paint, no accidents. I am the 3rd owner. $8,500. (Courtesy Rennlist)
Viewpoint
I purchased my first 968 cabriolet in December of 1996. With ownership, I became a true enthusiast of the model. I joined the Porsche club, attended events, and frequented the model-specific websites where I met other 968 owners. I thought I would own my first 968 forever, but then "Minty" came up for sale. It was the 9th cabriolet produced for the North American market and had many unusual features due to this fact. When my son, Greg, and I went to Massachusetts to see her in person, I knew I had to have her. Alex, the seller, wanted me to have her as well, so we worked out a deal (which included a six-pack of beer) and I took possession in September 2007.
Because of the great design, the 968 is a joy to drive. You put the top down, start the car and you're off. Performance is great, with all the expected modern amenities, and even practical with great gas mileage (20 MPG city/30 MPG highway). This car was the only North American 968 cabriolet produced in N4 Mint Green. Most people (but not all) love the color, and it brings the car a lot of attention. I think it is the car's best feature, but I'm glad it is paired with the black top and interior. Since I've cleaned her up, we've entered three car shows and taken first place trophies in each one.
- Jeff Coe
SpecialistsParagon Products
5602 Old Brownsville Road
Corpus Christi, Texas 78417
800-200-9366www.paragon-products.comOEM and performance parts
Pelican Parts
120 Standard Street
El Segundo, California 90245
888-280-7799www.pelicanparts.comOEM and performance parts
Performance Products
7733 Hayvenhurst Ave.
Van Nuys, California 91406
888-787-3626www.automotion.comOEM and performance parts
RS Barn
53 B German Avenue
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
877-968-2599www.rsbarn.com
High-performance parts
Club CornerPorsche Club of America
P.O. Box 5900
Springfield, Virginia 22150
703-451-9000www.pca.org
Dues: $42/year; Membership: 54,000
The club maintains a 968 register at www.968register.org.
www.968forums.com
An online database and gathering place for 968 fans. Membership is free, but new members must introduce themselves before being allowed to view forums.
www.rennlist.org
A major online Porsche community with more than 65,000 subscribers; a separate registry for the 924/944/968 models is a recent addition. Membership is free.
www.968.net
An information resource; discussion forums are no longer active.

This article originally appeared in the April, 2010 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.